JB Blanc
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jean-Benoit Blanc is an Anglo-French actor.
He was born in Paris, France on 13 February 1969 to a French father and an English mother. He moved to England with his mother at the age of five and was educated at Bramcote School, Scarborough and Sedburgh School in Cumbria, Northern England.
He discovered his passion for theatre at the age of 16 when he successfully auditioned for the National Youth Theatre of Great Britain. In 1987, he auditioned and was accepted at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, the youngest person to do so that year. He graduated in 1990 and after a short sabbatical travelling, began his theatre career. At one time he ran his own theatre company and he was soon working with some of the most innovative and prestigious companies on the London scene, collaborating with directors such as Rufus Norris, Howard Davies and later Sir Peter Hall.
In 2001, after 12 years almost exclusively working in theatre he landed the role of "Luigi Vampa" in the 2002 film version of The Count of Monte Cristo to great critical acclaim and moved to Los Angeles, California where he currently resides with his wife, the author Cynthia Bond and their daughter, Malia. Since moving to the US he has accepted roles in NYPD Blue, Prison Break, Dr. Vegas and the Ridley Scott production The Company on television, as well as in feature films such as Tristan & Isolde, Pirates of the Caribbean and Moonlight Serenade with Oscar-nominee Amy Adams.
He also has an extensive voice-over career both commercially and in animation and video games such as 2005's' James Bond: From Russia With Love in which he played Turkish agent Kerim Bey. He is represented in Los Angeles by SDB Partners Inc.
